Crossroads of Kalos
by Siggimondo
Summary: The saying goes that all paths lead to Rome. In the case of this fic, all paths lead to Kalos. Watch as various characters from various fandoms settle their various issues the way it is done in Kalos: with a Pokémon battle. Rated T for mentioning organized crime.
1. Lumiose city backstreet brawl

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Pokémon or any of the other franchises I have or will be borrowing from. If I did I would be too busy spending my mountains of money.

* * *

Chapter 1: Lumiose city backstreet brawl.

Kurosaki Ichigo was not in a good mood. There were many reasons for this, one of which was that the blackout in Lumiose city had finally ended. Most people would think this was a good thing, but Ichigo preferred the darkness and solitude to the bright noise. He had, however, not only stayed in northern Lumiose through most of the blackout, but also promised a friend he met on his travels that he would show her around the city once the electricity came back and people were allowed back in. This was the second reason for his bad mood.

The traffic in Lumiose, however, was bad on average, smooth at best and abysmal at worst, as would certainly be the case when people started returning to the no longer deserted city. There was only one way he would be able to show a girl her size more than one shop that did not lead to her getting kidnapped by some back alley thug.

Which was, coincidentally, the third reason for his lousy mood.

"So you want me to keep the alleys clean for an entire day, at a time when traffic and tourism will be at an all-time high? You have some serious balls, kid. What makes you think you have the right to order me and my underlings around like that?"

Ichigo sighed. He had pretty much expected that reply, but he had to do this if he was going to fulfil his promise. While he would normally not have cared, this was one thing he had to do. He owed the girl that much. Not to mention, with his hobby of hanging around in the shadows, he was probably the only person in Kalos who knew how to flatter this guy.

"Because your perverted morals won't let you refuse a demand from someone who can beat you in a Pokémon battle and your perverted pride won't let you refuse a challenge. Isn't that right, you pervert?"

The man before him grinned eerily at the insults. "Flattery will get you nowhere. So you think you can take on Lumiose city's underground face, do you? You have some suuper guts, kid. However, the back alleys is a place ruled by the strong, so I'll need part of my A-team to enforce your will even if you win, so how about this: we do three sets of one-on-one battles, best two out of three wins."

You'd never expect a gangster to parade the back alleys wearing nothing but a Hawaii shirt and a men's thong, but considering there was one that was insane enough to do this on a regular basis, voluntarily, it wasn't really that big of a surprise when he had overheard him taking being called a pervert as a compliment.

"Sounds ok to me. You're too perverted to even think of cheating, of course, so I don't think there will be an issue if we do this here and now. This perverted place does look big and sturdy enough to handle you and your perverted Pokémon. Am I right, pervert?"

"Please, call me Franky. All this flattery is more than enough to earn you your battle with yours truly. However, if you lose, you work for me. I can make use of someone who can apparently sneak past my underlings unnoticed."

"Deal"

**Round 1: Ichigo's Shinigami(Dusknoir) vs. Franky's Kurosai(Shiny Rhyhorn)**

"Go, Shinigami."

"Let's go, Kurosai"

'He's using his racing Rhyhorn in battle? I better watch out.', Ichigo thought, his mind racing. 'Better start off by making sure I hit' "Shinigami, use shadow punch!"

"Kurosai, use thief!"

The unusually coloured Rhyhorn quickly dealt some decent damage and took the opportunity to swipe the Dusknoir's leftovers while he was at it. It hardly paid attention to the sure-to-hit attack. 'Damn, that thing if way faster than it looks. Also, Shinigami's not looking too great. Thank Arceus I prepared my moves in advance. It'll all come down to the next few hits.'

"Your Dusknoir isn't much, it seems." Franky said confidently. "Feel like throwing in the towel? Now that my Kurosai stole your leftovers this battle is pretty much over."

"Not yet. This isn't over 'till Shinigami bites the dust."

"Have it your way. Kurosai, thief again."

"Grab it and give it an ice punch!"

"What?"

As the spikes Pokémon came in for it's second attack, it was unable to end its charge and struck the Dusknoir, getting grabbed by it's horn in the process. The following icy fist to its face froze its tiny brain solid.

"Keep using ice punch while it's frozen!"

"I don't think so. Kurosai, return."

"Does that mean I win round one?"

"…Yes. Yes it does."

"Well then, return, Shinigami."

**Round 2: Ichigo's Zangetsu(Doublade) vs. Franky's Thousand Sunny(Male Pyroar)**

"Well, this is bad. We'd better end this fast. Zangetsu, use sacred sword"

"Sunny, overheat!"

Doublade, despite its efforts, couldn't swing in time to stop the massive fire that its own ability made sure wouldn't miss.

"Nice Pyroar. Who named it?"

"An old acquaintance of mine. He was a weird one, but he knew a thing or three about raising Pokémon. Still think you can defeat me? This week's me is suuuuper! You should try again when you've gotten your Doublade a dusk stone."

"He prefers staying the way he is, so mind your own perverted business. I still have a trick up my sleeve."

**Round 3: Ichigo's Kon(Banette) vs. Franky's Honchcrow**

"I figured you'd use another ghost type. No self-respecting non-specialist trainer would use a Dusknoir AND a Doublade in a fight like this. Just as no self-respecting gangster would not have a Honchcrow."

"I'm still going to win. Let me show you how scary ghost types can be. Kon, time to mega evolve!"

"Mega-what now?"

As Ichigo pulled out what seemed to be a wooden badge of some sort and pressed his fingers to it, Kon the Banette was enveloped in a pink/gray-ish shell of some sort. As it emerged, its cloth had darkened and opened around its hands and legs, which, along with its now extended head, had zippers that were not there a moment ago. Its skin was purple beneath the cloth, and for some reason the sight sent shivers down the back of Lumiose city's underground face.

Not wanting to see what it was planning, he decided to end it quickly.

"Honchcrow, use night slash!"

"Kon, will-o-wisp, now!"

The shadowy puppet conjured several eerie blue orbs of fire, which moved at blinding speeds towards the gangster bird, whose attack was not as devastating as Franky had anticipated.

"If my Honchcrow can't hurt your Banett, then I'll just have your Banette do it for him. Honchcrow, use swagger."

"Kon, counter with substitute"

In a movement to brief to see the Banette had replaced itself with a dummy, which the Honchcrow then attempted to agitate, with no result at all. By now it was having a hard time staying airborne due to its severely burnt wings.

"Let's give it a taste of its own medicine. Kon, use swagger you too!"

"Hit it back with night slash!"

The swiftly enraged Honchcrow proceeded to strike the substitute with darkened claws, instantly dispelling the dummy.

"Now that your attack is raised we are back in the game. Finish this with a night slash!"

"Not if we can do something about that. Kon, use night shade!"

The Marionette Pokémon, now moving far slower yet still marginally outracing the Big boss Pokémon, spawned a horrifying image, causing the confused bird to veer off course and crash into a nearby wall, effectively taking itself out in the process.

"Good job, Kon.

"You too, Honchcrow, return. That's a nice Banette you had there. Who named it, and what was that mega-thingy you did with it?"

"Mega evolution needs three things to occur: the Pokémon in question must hold its species' mega stone, the trainer must have a mega item to trigger it and the bond between trainer and Pokémon must be strong enough to connect the two items. As for your first question, our bond is so strong that Kon could simply tell me his name."

"You can talk to ghost types? That's suuuuper! A deal is a deal. Tomorrow, the alleys will be open for traffic. Who knows, it might lull the tourists into a false sense of security."

"Thanks for that. I'll be taking my leave now."

Thus, Ichigo and Kon left the same way they had entered. Namely, trough the wall. Now that an important part of the guide job – necessary infrastructure – had been secured, he could finally show Rukia the city.

'I guess it's the least I could do for her. She did give me the mega badge and the banettite after all. Now where should I tell her to meet me? There's probably gonna be a lot of people at all the major landmarks, but if the place is too unknown she won't be able to find me. I know, how about…"

* * *

A/N

And there it is. The first chapter of my new little hobby project. As you could probably see due to the very open ending, I have an idea or two to spare, and I will write more of these when I have the time and motivation. If you have any ideas about matchups or teams I would appreciate if you would PM me about it. If there is anything else, leave a rewiew.


	2. Lost in Lumiose

Turns out researching moves by playing Pokémon can be really distracing. Go figure.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any franchise I am shamelessly borrowing from. If I did I could probably pay down America's debt os something. What I wouldn't do for that kind of money...

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

And without further ado:

Chapter 2: Lost in Lumiose.

* * *

"…Where the hell is Lysandre café?"

Kuchiki Rukia was lost.

It should have been simple to find. The sad fact was, however, that the proverbial floodgates to the city had brought so many people that a simple "look for a red café near the magenta plaza Pokémon center" had become quite the nightmare, as most people were tall enough to block her view. The cabs had ended up taking a day off due to the sheer amount of pedestrians flooding the streets. Added up, this meant she could hardly see two meters ahead of her. At some point she had been caught up in the stream of tourists and was now completely lost. As in, so lost she could not even call Ichigo for help, because she could not describe where she had ended up.

When she found him, she was gonna turn HIM into a ghost.

"May I help you with something?"

She had tried asking around the had stumbled – read: been pushed – into, but when you had a hard time seeing the wall across the street good advice could only get you so far, and nobody had enough time to take her where she needed to go, what with all the costumers that needed attending to.

"I need to go somewhere, but I can't seem to find it. I've tried asking around, but I can hardly see through the crowd. Could you, or do you know someone who can, take me to Lysandre café?"

"You're in luck, I just so happen to be a freelance tourist guide. It is quite a while from here, but I can take you there for a small price of one hundred thousand pokédollars."

"What? That's insane! Do I look like the champion or something? Where would I get that kind of money?"

The few people who had offered also seemed to demand outrageous prices for their services. At least the woman was the first to ask for money and not what she assumed was the local slang for a night in the hay. That being said, for that amount of money she could have taken several trips around the city in a cab and not even spend half of that.

"I guess you could always try finding it yourself if you don't like my prices. Unless you want to settle the matter in another way, that is."

"Like what?"

"I have a friend who has access to the Battle Institute's facilities. He usually hosts battles so he can study which attacks, combos and Pokémon cause certain injuries, so he can treat them more efficiently. I'll get him to lend me his field and we'll settle this with a Pokémon battle. If you win, I'll take you there for the asking price of a taxi, but if I win you pay what you have. All of it. Deal?"

Rukia had to struggle to keep her face steady at that one.

"Deal. Does 3 vs. 3 sound good to you?"

"Perfect. Let's go, then."

* * *

"So are the two of you ready, then? The battle will be a 3-on-3 battle, no substitutions that will end when either one of you are unable to use any of your selected Pokémon."

"Sounds about right. Thanks for taking the time to arrange this, by the way."

"No problem. Now all you two need to do is enter your name and trainer class into the screen before you, as well as the Pokémon you'll be using, and then I can get back to the Pokémon center. It's busy times, you know."

"Yeah, thanks for the help, Chopper."

**Entry complete. The battle between Tourist guide Nami and Lass Rukia will begin shortly. The challengers' Pokémon are:**

**Tourist guide Nami's Lass Rukia's**

**Clima Takuto (Castform) Sode no Shirayuki (Froslass)**

**Log Pose (Probopass) Jigokucho (Elegant pattern Vivillon)**

**Waver (Seadra) ** **Sokatsui (Chandelure)**

**You may begin once each contestant has selected his or her first Pokémon. Selection confirmed. Thank you for choosing the Battle institute. We remind you that all battles are recorded for training purposes.**

"I choose you, Sode no Shirayuki!"

"Go, Waver"

"Sode no Shirayuki, use Double team, then Ominous wind!"

"Waver, counter it all with Twister!"

In an instant, the Froslass seemed to be all over the field, causing a strange purple wind to blow. The Seadra's twister met it, and as the two wind-based attacks struggled for dominance, they eventually fused together into a field-wide purple twister. When the wind cleared, only the two Pokémon remained. Despite the large area of effect, both attacks had been relatively weak, so neither side had taken much damage.

"Double team and then Ominous wind!"

"Bit of a one-trick pony, are we? Twister again!"

Once more, the two winds met, but this time the purple winds managed to overpower the twister and send the Seadra flying.

"What? What just happened?"

"Ominous wind has a chance of boosting all of Sode no Shirayuki's stats. Didn't you know that?"

"You haven't won yet. Waver, use Surf!"

"Stop it with Blizzard!"

Seemingly out of nowhere a large body of water appeared, ready to crash down on the Froslass. The wave then froze in its tracks, as it was enveloped in the freezing storms.

"Let's end this. Sode no Shirayuki, use Shadow ball!"

"Quick, use Hydro pump!"

The Seadra, still stuck in the frozen wave, shot a powerful blast of water the only way it could, straight ahead, effectively dispelling the rest of the fake Froslass. However, real one had circled around the Seadra, and hit from behind with deadly accuracy.

"Good job, Sode no Shirayuki. Only two more."

"Take a rest, Waver. I choose you, Log pose! Flash cannon!"

"Hit it with Wake-up slap!"

While being hit by Froslass' only fighting-type move certainly must have hurt, the Probopass seemed unfazed as it fired its laser at point-blank range. The Froslass hit the floor, and didn't get up.

"Return, Sode no Shirayuki. I choose you, Sokatsui!" I hope you're ready, partner. Let's start off by throwing your balls at it!"

By the time it took Nami to recover from the shock of that particular wording, the Chandelure had already fired its Shadow and Energy balls at her Probopass.

"Log Pose, use Thunder lance!"

The compass Pokémon took the balls to his face like a champ, while seemingly doing nothing to retaliate.

"I don't think he's listening. Did you get him in a trade or something? Either way we're gonna finish this. Sokatsui, use Flamethrower."

The slight hesitation made all the difference. By the time the luring Pokémon had launched its attack, the Probopass had unleashed its Zap cannon, guaranteed to hit due to the Lock on Rukia had mistaken for disobedience. The bolt of electricity tore through the flames, scattering them completely, before striking the Chandelure dead on.

Nami smiled. 'The best part about combo moves that are rehearsed in advance and given their own name is that no one but you knows what will happen, and so they don't know how to counter it.' At some point in your life, a Pokémon trainer inevitably learns the power of unpredictability. Having very unpredictable friends helped, too.

Rukia, however, was not impressed. She was not showing, because she knew she had to make her opponent underestimate her if her plan was going to work.

"Sokatsui, finish it off with a Fire blast!"

"Stop it with a Power gem!"

Fire blast is not the most accurate attack in a Chandelure's move pool. Also, the paralysis did not exactly help. This was, in retrospect, the very reason the attack hit. The fact that Power gem was not very suited for defense might have been a factor, too.

The powers of fire and rock seemed to miss each other, yet each attack hit well enough to incapacitate their target. Had it not been for that each trainer still had a Pokémon, the fight would have ended in a draw.

"Time to end this. Let's go, Jigokucho!"

"Agreed. Go, Clima Takuto"

The purple butterfly stared at the disembodied floating head.

"Sunny day!"/"Poison powder!"

The sun became bright above them, which was odd, considering they were inside, but neither of them took time to consider it. The Castform now looked like it was cosplaying as the sun, which looked odd when covered in purple dust and with slightly green cheeks, an identifying mark of poison.

"Jigokucho, use Infestation!"

"Despite what you seem to think, this isn't going to last much longer. Clima Takuto, use Flamethrower!"

Beneath the blazing sun, the Vivillon didn't stand a chance. One could almost think that…

"Did you lose on purpose?"

"What are you talking about? I have to pay you every pokédollar I have just so you can take me where I want. Now hurry up and take me there before I find another guide."

* * *

Later, at Lysandre café, Nami was walking away with a furious look on her face. The little girl looked and talked like a spoiled little brat, but she was, in fact, flat out broke, something a quick pickpocket had confimed. It was not often she was tricked into working for free, but she couldn't call the kid out on it because then she would have to explain how she knew the kid was broke without pickpoceting her. She was _so_ going to her boss about this. He was not the kind of person to stay in one place however, and while she may be good at finding places, when you wanted to find a _person _you went to...

"What's wrong? You look suuuuuuper depressed, Nami."

"Not now, Franky, I'm not in the mood. Have you seen _that person_ anywhere?"

"Well, last time I heard he got in a fight about..."

* * *

Who could be up next? What could the fight be about? What kind of battle is next? All of these questions and more will be answered next chapter.

A/N

I decided to have characters from the same canon be at least somewhat familiar with each other, so you can probably see at least one of the trainers who will clash next , I have a decent idea of how I want my next 3 chapters to be, but I am still having trouble picturing a team for one character in particular, so if you read this and want to contribute, feel free to do so, if not then heed the spoiler alert.

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**SPOILER ALERT**

I want to make a team for Pain/Pein from the Naruto series, centered around his six "Paths". One of them HAS to be Yveltal, but as for the rest and for which path each should represent I am open for suggestions. The next chapter can and will be written regardless of suggestions, but after that comes the time for Pain/Pein and at that point I either have to use what I've been given or make something up myself. Looking forward to your suggestions.


	3. Fight for your food

I had trouble deciding whose perspective to write this in, but in the end I decided to write it from the restaurant owner's perspective.

I appreciate the help I got in the reviews, I look forward to putting your suggestions to good use.

For those of you who are going to see what help I got, beware of **SPOILERS!**

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

* * *

Fight for your food

"Steak!"

"Ramen"

"Steak!"

"Ramen"

"Steak!"

"Ramen"

It was an unusually loud day at Restaurant Le Wow. It had started quietly, with two customers who each had come alone being seated in the general vicinity of each other. It escalated rather pleasantly, with each customer describing their love for their favourite dish, each claiming their favourite was above all others in terms of taste.

When the two customers ordered their meal, coincidentally at the same time, all hell seemed to break loose.

"Steak!"

"Ramen"

"Steak!"

"Ramen"

The owner saw no other solution than to step in. With both customers having paid in advance, there was only one solution that could restore peace to his establishment without losing customers in the long run.

"Gentlemen, your meals will arrive shortly. Might I suggest sorting out your differences with a pokémon battle while you wait? I suggest you finish in fourturns for optimal taste"

Seeming satisfied with the offer, the two trainers made their way to one of the spaces set aside for pokémon battles. 'Thank Arceus trainers nowadays can settle just about anything with pokémon. This will also make great entertainment for the other customers.'

One of the trainers, a young man in a red vest, blue shorts and a straw-hat, pulled a pair of pokéballs out of his belt. "I'll show you the power of steak! I choose you, Gomu Gomu, Ace!"

'Gomu Gomu the Hitmonlee and Ace the Talonflame. Rather interesting choice in names.'

The other trainer, also a young man, wearing an orange and black jumpsuit, pulled a pair of balls out of his pocket. "Ramen is the food of the gods, nothing stands above it! Prove it to him, Minato, Shuriken"

'Shuriken the Skarmory and Minato the shiny Lucario. The young men are very similar, both in fashion and in naming sense. The other chefs can handle the kitchen for a while, this seems like it's going to be interesting.'

"Gomu Gomu, use Close Combat, Ace, stay back and use Swords Dance"

"Shuriken, lower his mobility with spikes, Minato, stop his Hitmonlee with Rasengan!"

'An original attack? This IS going to be interesting.' Indeed, most customers had stopped eating to watch the fight. It was highly unorthodox to see an original attack, after all. Even having a named combo was a rare thing, due to the time it took to make the pokémon in question connect the new name to a combination of recognized moves.

While the birds made their preparations, the two fighting types prepared to clash, the Hitmonlee stretching its legs to inhuman levels to avoid stepping on the spikes and the Lucario gathering power for what looked like a very turbulent Aura Sphere. As the Hitmonlee was about to make contact, the Lucario shoved its attack forward, causing the Kicking pokémon's limbs to tangle and forcing it back.

There was a moment of awed silence while the young man in the straw-hat revised his strategy.

"Ace, hit his Skarmory with Flare Blitz, Gomu Gomu, show him your Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"

"Fuuton, Rasen-shuriken!"

This time, the Hitmonlee kept its distance. After having untangled its limbs it seemed reluctant to approach, but apparently this was not a problem at it was able to use Close Combat from a distance. The irony was not lost on the crowd. The Talonflame, having wrapped itself in flames, was charging towards the Armour Bird pokémon, its body covered in flames.

Their opponents, however, were using a fusion attack. While the Lucario seemed to be using the same attack, but this time the Skarmory was hitting it with Air Slashes. As the Lucario raised the strange Aura Sphere overhead, the owner took note of how it looked like a shuriken with a sphere in the middle, rather than a hole.

As the Skarmory hid behind the Lucario, the Talonflame and the Hitmonlee's arms moved as one towards the Aura pokémon, never hitting each other but neither seeming to miss.

The strange Aura Sphere expanded, encompassing the two pokémon and the arms of the third with an attack that, shortly after expanding, seemed to ignite from the Talonflame's flames. As they retracted, the Hitmonlee's arms hung limp, and the pokémon at the centre of the attack had both fainted.

"It seems we still have some time. Let's bring out one more pokémon each, so we can get back to the food on time."

"Sounds great to me. I choose you, Grizzly Magnum!"

"Let's finish this, Kurama!"

Kurama the Ninetales stood beside his avian teammate while Grizzly Magnum the Ursaring seemed ready to tear through its pelt – literally. 'Is it just me, or is it getting hotter in here?'

"Gomu Gomu no Stamp, Grizzly Magnum, use Retaliate!"

"Shuriken, tank the Retaliate and hit back with slash, Kurama, hit everyone with Heat wave!"

With the Skarmory blocking its path to optimal damage, the Ursaring settled for joining its teammate in taking out the Armor Bird pokémon. It went down to their attacks, but the Heat Wave hit harder than expected. As the heat approached near-unbearable levels, some of the customers started discussing whether there was a problem with the lights. The owner glanced up, and saw what looked like a miniature sun where his chandelier had been. 'The Ninetales' Drought ability must have made the lights brighter, increasing its power.'

"Last turn, hope you're ready. Kurama, Flame Burst on the Ursaring!"

"Grizzly Magnum, Giga Impact, Gomu Gomu no Stamp Gatling!"

The battlefield exploded into chaos as the two charging pokémon spent the last of their strength charging through the flames. When the dust settled, none of the pokémon were standing.

Right on cue, the waiters came with the food. Both trainers seemed to forget their rage at the sight and smell of it, and soon they were chatting at their respective tables. As the owner returned to the kitchen he could hear the two young men begin another discussion. The young man in the straw-hat asked "What was that thing you had your Lucario do?"

"Minato had trouble controlling his Aura Sphere at first, which made it way strong but he couldn't let go of it. So we decided to perfect it the way it was and called it the Rasengan. I've been working on combining it with other attacks, but so far it's just with Air Slash"

"Wow, and I thought teaching my Hitmonlee his stretchy moves was next-level"

"Yeah, you're pretty strong, you know. In fact, I think you're one of the strongest trainers I've met in this region. That still doesn't mean you're the strongest though, my teacher and his first student could both kick your ass."

"Which one is stronger?"

"The first student. Apparently, nowadays he calls himself…"

* * *

If you read the spoiler, you know who he's talking about. Maybe you can guess who he's facing too.

Hint: It's not Jiraya.

Read and Review, it fuels my inspiration and thereby gives you more fanfiction to read, so win-win =D

Also, next chapter will be the first full 6on6 single battle in this fic, so if nothing else wish me luck.


	4. Life or Death battle

Due to a storm in my local area, I was left without internet for most of the weekend. Thus I had few things to pass time with, and ended up writing a lot. Enjoy.

Thanks to Elia41 for your suggestions on Pain's team. I do not think I could have done it better myself. For those who are interested, this author writes the best Pokémon fanfiction I have seen to date.

"Speaking"

'thinking'

"Speaking at the same time./Speaking at the same time."

* * *

Life or Death Battle.

Meanwhile, on a mountain near Geosenge Town.

"…Pain, I presume?"

"So you found me"

"I was looking for a weapon of mass destruction. You just happened to be nearby. Rumours also claim you are the leader of the newly formed Team Red Moon. That outfit isn't really helping your case, either."

"I see. You have been hunting me for quite some time now. I have business with this weapon. I intend to use it for peace."

"Peace through superior firepower? I was never a huge fan of the whole _nobody argues because those who argue die _kind of peace. "

"Who are you then, who seeks a weapon he has no intention to use"

"I am a man who believes that a sufficiently trained pokémon can get your argument across better than any weapon could. Honorary champion of Kalos, freelance investigator on behalf of the Pokémon Leagues International, the son of Life, Harry Potter"

"Son of life?"

"I was adopted by Prongs after my parents died in a car accident."

"Prongs?"

"You want to see? That depends on whether you'll come quietly or not. As I see it I have, at the very least, enough evidence to arrest you for investigating a weapon of mass destruction on behalf of a criminal organization."

"You think you can defeat me single-handedly? Such arrogance!"

"Looks like the pot is calling the kettle black."

"It seems I shall have to teach you how futile it is to attempt to fight me. Regardless of your resistance, soon the world will know Pain."

"And that right there is a direct threat to a PLI investigator. You won't be out of jail before two more regions are discovered. Moony, Reflect!"

"Animal, use Sweet Scent"

Moony the Lunatone erected its translucent barriers, while Animal the Roserade released a smell that would make quite expensive perfume brands pale in comparison.

'I have to get Ginny some of that…Anyway, focus, Harry, focus.'

"Now back it up with Light Screen!"

"Attack Order"

'What?'

Despite being a major tourist attraction and the target of a huge weapon's latest misfire, Geosenge Town's surrounding areas still had quite a number of wild pokémon. For some reason, the Roserade's Sweet Scent had summoned what appeared to be all of them, and they were now charging straight for Moony.

With rather angry looking faces.

'Uh oh'

"My Animal is named after an ancient ancestor to a large variety of pokémon. Apparently, her Sweet Scent smells so sweet that all such pokémon in the area will do anything to prolong their exposure to it. Therefore, I now have an army. I believe that trumps your moon."

"Think again. Moony, use Earthquake!"

"Animal, Grassy Terrain!"

While most of the earthbound pokémon fell to the Earthquake, Animal, a few stronger wild non-flyers and all flying types withstood the attack. Meanwhile, grass seemed to grow out of the mountainside. The remaining wild pokémon were still attacking the Lunatone, and despite its dual Screens it didn't look like it could keep it up much longer.

'Combine Tackle with Explosion. We'll call it…'

"Operation Dawn!"

"Magical leaf!"

Still covered in attacking pokémon, the Lunatone charged the Bouquet pokémon, whose minions ironically acted as a meat shield against the otherwise unavoidable attack. The following explosion could be heard all the way to Shalour City.

"Using telepathy to communicate with your psychic type pokémon? It takes more than that to catch me off guard."

"Your Animal was surprised enough, though."

"The wild pokémon of the area were too weak to support her, thus she has outlived her usefulness. I, however, am done with preparations. I shall show the world the true meaning of Pain, and I refuse to let you stop me. I choose you, Naraka!"

'Damn, he's trying to stall out my screens.'

"Go, Expelliarmus!"

Naraka the Trevenant and Expelliarmus the Malamar stared each other down, each realizing that the fact that they were brought out meant that their trainer was getting serious.

"Will-O-Wisp!/Night Slash!"

As the Trevenant conjured its orbs of flame, the Malamar saw an opening and sliced between them, before earning a burnt tentacle for his troubles.

'So it's Expelliarmus' offense against his Naraka's defence. The Grassy Terrain isn't helping me here. Seeing as my opponent seems to know what he's doing, that's probably a Sitrus Harvester Trevenant. In which case…'

"Naraka, use Leech Seed!"

"Override to Forest's Curse!"

"What!?"

As the Trevenant was preparing to release its seed, the Malamar's torso started flashing in a hypnotic pattern. Suddenly, the Elder Tree pokémon felt more like using Forest's Curse, so it did.

"I'll have to admit, that one surprized me. It is, however, an insignificant detail. Your Malamar has lost its Same Type Attack Bonus and it is still burned. You now lack the necessary offense to defeat my Naraka. Use Substitute!"

"I was waiting for that. Expelliarmus, use Foul Play!"

Somehow, the Malamar managed to ignore the substitute completely and strike the weakened Trevenant with its own strength, taking it out.

"Expelliarmus can use your own strength against you and strike when you least expect it"

"Indeed, not once but twice has it surprised me. It seems I must punish it for its blasphemy. I choose you, Deva, Moonblast!"

"Slash!"

Despite his brave efforts, Deva's Moonblast struck down Expelliarmus before his attack landed.

"It is useless. My Deva remains undefeated. You might as well attempt to defeat Arceus himself, such is her power."

"You said something earlier about showing me the true meaning of Pain, right?"

"Indeed. Once I have acquired the weapon, the world shall know Pain. Why do you ask?"

"Then I'll show you the true meaning of FEAR! I choose you, Wormtail the 22nd!"

Wormtail the 22nd was a Ratatta. It looked as though it had only recently hatched, and it was wearing a tiny sash on its tail. Depending on how many televised Pokémon League battles you had watched, it was simultaneously one of the least and most scary things imaginable.

"Am I to take this as an insult?"

'The bad guys always fall for this one. This is the 22nd villain to lose a powerhouse to my FEAR Ratatta.'

"I'm not afraid of you, and neither is Wormtail the 22nd. It is you who should fear us."

"Very well. If that is your wish, then I shall dispose of your weak excuse for a pokémon. Deva, Psychic."

"Wormtail the 22nd, take it and use Endeavour!"

At the expense of its sash Wormtail the 22nd stayed conscious and managed to hit its opponent, who suddenly felt a lot weaker, as though any single hit could take her down. It was a feeling she hadn't felt since she was a wild Ralts with no offensive moves at all. Remembering an old trick, she broadcasted its fear, so that her trainer could protect her.

"Wormtail the 22nd, Quick Attack!"

"Deva, return!"

Pain, like all the others who faced an incarnation of Wormtail, did not think defeat was an option. Therefore, by the time it had taken to find Deva's ball and command it to return, it had already fallen. They didn't call it Quick Attack for no reason.

Wormtail the 22nd, now a Raticate, had a smug look on its face. Soon it would join its siblings in Professor Oak's FEAR retirement park. All it had to do was land one more hit for good measure.

"So, do you know true FEAR now?"

"I do not understand… why do you say the word _fear_ like that?"

"It's an acronym. **F**ocus sash, **E**ndeavour, Quick **A**ttack **R**atatta. By combining or emulating these elements, even the youngest of pokémon can defeat a god. That is the true meaning of FEAR!"

"Blasphemy…"

"What did you say?"

"YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS BLASPHEMY! ASURA, CHARGE BEAM!"

"Wormtail the 22nd, one more Quick Attack.

Asura the Klinklang seemed unfazed by the hairball that rammed it, and proceeded to zap it for its own benefit.

'Electric moves probably won't be enough, and there's no way I'm bringing out my ace now. I guess there's no other choice. At least it won't get STAB on its electric moves.'

"Fawkes, your turn. Use Sunny Day!"

Pain, having forgot his rage by seeing his opponent's Moltres, gathered the presence of mind to command his pokémon.

"Asura, Lock On!"

"Now Heat Wave!/Now Zap Cannon!"

Each having completed their respective preparations, Fawkes and Asura released their powered-up moves. While the Heat Wave was on target, the Zap Cannon seemed to miss completely, yet spun in mid-air to strike the Moltres. Both pokémon seemed to have taken major damage, yet neither showed any intention to yield to the other.

"Fawkes, hang in there! Give it a Flamethrower!"

"It's all or nothing. Asura, use Hyper Beam!"

While Fawkes was a legendary pokémon and the weather was as sunny as could be, the lingering static of the Zap Cannon made it harder to move, and a Hyper Beam is a more condensed move than a Flamethrower.

Granted, it still wrapped around the beam of concentrated force, but had it been faster it would fire parallel to the beam. In the end, it became too much for the fiery bird, falling just too soon to see the Klinklang follow it into unconsciousness.

"It seems I must get yet more serious. Why must you fight peace? I choose you, Human!"

"I already told you, I don't approve of the kind of peace that is built on a mountain of corpses. Your time to shine, Padfoot!"

Padfoot the Manectric barked happily while stretching its legs. Human the Alakazam settled for simply staring. Their trainers pulled out familiar objects and both tensed for battle.

"By the power of this Mega Figure, I command you to mega evolve!"

"Mega Wand activate! Let's do this, Padfoot!"

Since Human was faster, it traced Padfoot's Lightningrod ability before said ability changed.

"It seems using a Manectric has backfired on you. Human just informed me through telepathy which ability it traced. You may still surrender, turn tail and let me create peace."

"Never! Padfoot, use Snarl!"

"Human, Psychic!"

Padfoot's menacing Snarl carried across the sunlit mountainside, registering in Human's ear just as he was tossing the electric dog around through pure force of mind. The sound was unsettling to say the least.

"Snarl!/Psychic!"

The process repeated, but while the Alakazam was indeed weakening, it had started out stronger and faster, and Padfoot did not get up a second time.

"Well done, Padfoot. Now we can finally end this. I choose you, Prongs!"

While Pain had high opinions of himself, to the point of developing a minor God complex, he always imagined himself to be a realist. The reason he did not respect his opponents was that he felt no opponent was worthy of his respect. Even the man he had once called teacher, he now only thought of as a lazy pervert (not that anyone who knew the man would disagree).

That being said, it took a great deal of effort to earn the respect of a legendary pokémon, let alone make it do your bidding in battle. Indeed, trainers wielding legendaries were usually only a few per generation, and only few among them ever had the skill and tenacity to find and wield another.

Yet Prongs was the name given to Xerneas. There was no way around it. The mighty stag had an unmistakable aura about it, and its stance was mimicking the letter X.

Until now, he had not thought of defeat as possible, but now he had to admit it looked quite probable.

"Prongs, use Geomancy!"

'Make that inevitable.'

"Human, use Toxic!"

'My last hope is to stall this out and let the poison do its thing'

"Now Light Screen, before he finishes!"

"Moonblast!"

Somehow seeming unaware that Geomancy was supposed to be a time-consuming process; Prongs sent a blast of lunar energy into the already weakened Mega Alakazam before the transparent screen was fully conjured. It didn't get back up. If one had bothered to look closer, the remains of a power herb could be seen on the Xerneas' lips.

"So be it , let's finish this! Smite it with Steel Wing!"

"One last Moonblast!"

While Yveltal's power is said to be identical to Xerneas', the type matchup favours Xerneas. Not to even mention the fact that, due to Geomancy, Xerneas was twice as fast and hit twice as hard as it usually would.

Preta the Yveltal fell short of its target, struck by the silvery orb that spelled its doom.

Then the name struck a chord with Pain.

"You were adopted by Xerneas itself? I see now why you got that nickname."

"You can tell your psychiatrist all about it at the asylum. If you manage to get rid of that attitude of yours, you could probably be a great archaeologist or something."

"I don't suppose I have a choice. If I may say so, you have earned my respect, for what it is worth. You remind me of my Sensei, only less perverted and less lazy and less…"

"Less what?"

"…drunk."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, both were chuckling as they arrived at the police station where the local Officer Jenny waited. As they were about to part ways, Harry asked one last question.

"Who is this Sensei you mentioned? If you're the result of his teachings he might need to have a face-to-face with an Officer Jenny"

"Do not blame my Sensei, I was already jaded when I met him and his teachings left little impression on my ethics. You probably won't take my word for it though, so I'll tell you. His name is…"

* * *

So there it is. Next time, Jiraya enters the spotlight. I have an idea about who wants to be his next student, but I'm also open to suggestions. Now for a few clarifications:

Pain's Mega Figure is basically a miniature Gedo Statue. It is classified as a figure for portability purposes, and I'm sorry for the confusion this may have caused.

I could have made Padfoot one of the legendary dogs, but Entei, Raikou and Suicune remind me of a lion, tiger and mountain lion respectively, and so I went for a Manectric. Padfoot's personality doesn't fit a legendary anyway.

Moony is a werewolf in canon, but since there is no good pokémon equivalent, I went for something moon-related that wasn't pink.

I decided to give Harry a new, equally amazing nickname instead of "the boy who lived", seeing as the pokémon world has no equivalent to the killing curse. I hope you liked it.

This version of Pain really likes old stuff because it has more mentions of gods than recent times, where said gods are proven and nobody needs to convert anyone to make them beileve in for example Arceus. That is how he discovered the naming pattern he used.

Basically, this is my excuse for naming his pokémon after his "paths". =P

With that being said, please tell me your opinion and suggestions. If you have none of either, feel free to tell me so and I'll try to make things more exiting.


End file.
